Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday in Jerusalem with Chadian President Mahamat Deby, ahead of inaugurating Chad’s first embassy in the country, to be located in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan.

Standing beside Deby, Netanyahu first addressed him in French, "Bienvenu a Jérusalem, Monsieur le Président" (welcome to Jerusalem, Mr President). Continuing in English, Netanyahu referenced Chad's late President Idriss Deby, Mahamat's father, who established relations with Israel in 2018.

"It is in our view a tremendously important relationship with a major country at the heart of Africa. It is something that we want to carry to new levels. New heights. Your visit here in Israel and the opening of the embassy are the reflection of that..it’s also part of Israel’s coming back to Africa and Africa coming back to Israel," Netanyahu said. 

As with other sub-Sahara African countries, bilateral relations between Israel and Chad were severed in 1972 following the 1967 Six Day War and pressure by then-Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The two countries resumed ties in 2018 following a visit to Israel by then-President Idriss Deby. A year later, Netanyahu visited the capital N’Djamena. Deby passed away in 2021, with his son replacing him. Israeli Ambassador Ben Bourgel presented his credentials to Mahamat Deby last May, pledging to advance cooperation in different fields. Israel has not opened an embassy in N’Djamena and Bourgel serves as ambassador both to Chad and Senegal, where he is located.